George Michael: Why I was on self destruct

He has been arrested in a public lavatory, convicted of drug offences and alienated American fans by taunting President Bush.

Now George Michael has admitted trying to "derail" his career, and has blamed years of bizarre behaviour on his upbringing.

The singer says on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, on which he is the guest castaway today, that, as the youngest son in his "patriarchal" family, he was indulged and could "do what he liked".

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He told presenter Kirsty Young: "I grew up with this terrible feeling of guilt, knowing that I was always the one who would get the easy ride.

"I finally realised that one reason why my life... has felt so self-destructive is that I never had any feeling my talent was going to let me down."

Michael spoke openly about his drug use, and being found slumped in his car on several occasions, leading to a two-year driving ban earlier this year.

He said: "In a strange way I've spent the last 15 or 20 years trying to derail my own career because it never seems to suffer.

"I suffered terrible things - bereavements and public humiliations - but my career just seems to right itself like a plastic duck in a bath and, in some ways, I resent that."

In 1998, Michael was arrested in Los Angeles for lewd conduct after indecently exposing himself to an undercover police officer in a public lavatory.

The events that took place led to Michael admitting he was gay after years of speculation about his sexuality.